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Here and There on the Turf Chicagos Sacing Prospects. Some Necessary Requirements. New Washington Park Essentials. When racing is brought back to Chicago in a manner to make it endure and hold a place second to none in the scheme of the American turf, it is essential that the various interests seeking to accomplish that end work together. It was demonstrated adequately last September at Hawthorne that Chicago will liberally support racing and that racing will come back to all its glory of the days of "Washington Park, if the New Washington Park plan is carried to completion. It is vital to the success of the revival of the turf in Illinois and in Chicago that it be brought about by Chicagos leaders in business and social standing. It must be fathered by those who have high-class racing at heart and ; through that the fostering of expanded breed- j i j ing. There is no room in a racing revival anywhere for those whose only interest in the sport is the speculative side. It can never come back in a manner to merit the respect and support of those whose support means success if it is merely a revival to afford an opportunity to bet on the horses. Betting is necessary for the sport at any race meeting, but the betting must be only an incident. When betting has been the only object of racing the racing has never endured. There must be the love of high-class racing first, last and all the time as the paramount j reason for the racing of horses. There will be betting on races just as long as there are two men, two horses and two dollars left, but the race itself is the thing and the betting is only an incident. It is not meant by this that the betting interests are seeking a place in the restoration of racing in Chicago, but this is the time to point out the danger of any such association by the men who are striving for restoration of the sport. There is also danger in too many different projects. Chicago might eventually support just as many tracks as does New York, but it would be well at this time to work in unison for no more than the meetings already announced. Let the racing be firmly established by high-class Chicago men, who will be willing to carry through their plans on a scale befitting Chicago. Such meetings might in time open the way for other track conducted along similar lines. Chicago will have racing in 1923. That is assured, but just how long racing is to last and how firmly it is to be intrenched in Chicago depends altogether on the manner in which it is conducted. Sportsmen who are above reproach have lent their aid and there are several of the foremost breeders of the country who will also do their part for bringing about the revival. The selection of Joseph A. Murphy to take charge of the affairs of the New Washington Park project is a happy one. It was through the intelligent snd energetic efforts of Judge ! Murphy that the Hawthorne meeting was made possible and on various other occasions he has shown his fitness for such an important office. No one has a better knowledge of racing and no one has a fuller appreciation of the importance of making the sport paramount. It is a wise provision that the association should be made purely a Chicago organization and it is also well that some of the stock be issued in small sums for those who care to subscribe modestly. New Washington Park should be an organization where civic pride would play its part. It should be an organization of which the city is proud and it should mean something to be a member of the association. There are many qualifications much more important than dollars in passing on the membsrship in the association and with Judge Murphy in control there will be little chance for other than members of such character as will make the restoration of racing all that is desu-id.
